Stretch of Harbor Boulevard has become fast food central

David May, 17, of Santa Ana dines with friends at The Habit on Harbor Blvd. "I think it's definitely healthier than McDonald's or Burger King," May says of the menu options at The Habit, "If I get fast food, it's gonna be here." MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Swapping one landmark for another

In-N-Out is a California institution – it reigns as the master of the fast food burger.

The chain, which has recently expanded beyond the Golden State's boundaries, opened a new In-N-Out Burger in 2011 on the corner of Gisler Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

The eatery it replaced, though, was a landmark in its own right: Kaplan's Deli, a decades-old family business that closed in 2005 because of rising rents.

The deli was founded by Abraham Kaplan but was purchased by Robert Leggett, a former Democratic congressman from Vallejo, and his wife, Suzy Park Thomson Leggett, in 1995. The Leggett family operated Kaplan's deli until its closure March 31, 2005. It is now home to In-N-Out's Double-Double.

"I'd rather see an In-N-Out there, putting people to work," said Colin McCarthy, chairman of the city's Planning Commission. "That's better than a dilapidated building."

Along a one-mile stretch of Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa, from the I-405 to Adams Avenue, is a scattering of fast food restaurants – gastronomic monuments to California's automobile-centric, always-on-the-go lifestyle.

This relatively small strip of Orange County's iconic thoroughfare, nicknamed the Harbor Boulevard of Cars for its many auto dealerships, boasts 16 fast food joints – many of which have opened in the last three years.

The result is a veritable Hamburger Row – Sonic, McDonald's, Burger King, Habit Burger, Five Guys, In-N-Out – with a peppering of miscellaneous restaurants, such as Subway, Chick-fil-A and Yoshinoya.

It is sensory overload for the fast-food junkie.

"I think it's a good thing," said John McCarter, a Costa Mesa resident who eats at the In-N-Out on Gisler Avenue and Harbor nearly every Friday following his co-ed softball games. "There are a lot of fast food places. Maybe they could have put an Olive Garden or something."

The popping up of these fast-food chains is largely the product of a concentrated redevelopment effort by Harbor Mesa LLC, the owner of the largest swath of property there, and Costa Mesa's Planning Commission, which wanted to revamp a section of the city many claim had become dilapidated.

Among the run-down buildings that dotted the area was the Inn at Costa Mesa, which had become a hotbed of nefarious activity, according to Bill Lang, the manager of Harbor Mesa LLC and Kaplan's Deli, a Costa Mesa landmark that went out of business in 2005.

"It was a run-down 10 1/2 acres," said Lang, the developer of the master plan. "We worked on a total plan, and we are happy with the result, which obliterated the blight that was there."

Thanks to the ending of a number of long-term leases, Harbor Mesa was able to re-let the various parcels to new businesses – most of which were fast food restaurants, with one of the few exceptions being a Fresh and Easy.

The reasons why Harbor is an attractive destination for fast food restaurants, though, are fairly obvious: its close proximity to a major freeway, Orange Coast College and the Orange County fairgrounds.

The impact on the community, however, is less clear.

Some, like McCarter, think the restaurants are good because they create jobs. Others, such as Denise Moon of the Eastside Neighbors Association, believe that the abundance of fast food restaurants cheapens the city's image.

VOICES

"All the buildings have an informed architectural palette. We don't have visual clutter. What you see is one uniformed look. Harbor is a gateway to the city, so we want to make sure it's pleasing to the eye."

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David May, 17, of Santa Ana dines with friends at The Habit on Harbor Blvd. "I think it's definitely healthier than McDonald's or Burger King," May says of the menu options at The Habit, "If I get fast food, it's gonna be here." MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kaplan's Deli on Harbor Boulevard at the I-405 closed in 2005 because of rising rents. COURTESY OF THE COSTA MESA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
An In-N-Out opened in 2011 on the site of the old Kaplan's. WAYNE MAH, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY

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